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First of all, Batman Forever is not Batman and Robin, which came out two years later. For whatever reason, nearly everyone tends to confuse the two or lump them together. Both were directed by Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Flatliners), but in my mind they are very, very different movies. I enjoy Batman Forever way more than I should, but Batman and Robin is one of the worst summer movies of my lifetime. Now that we have that straight...

Taking over the reigns from Tim Burton, Schumacher reinterprets the icon in nearly equal doses of camp and bombast. The film explodes across the screen in day-glow colors — an amusing bit of summer showmanship for some, a big middle finger to others. Forever betrays its source material, particularly in the simplified depiction of one of its villains, Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones). On top of that, Robin (Chris O’Donnell) is introduced into the mix as an impetuous whiner, and while Val Kilmer fills out the Batsuit nicely, he’s the dullest Bruce Wayne to date. Jim Carrey is decent as the main villain, The Riddler, though both he and Jones go too far at times. Schumacher achieves a few quasi-dramatic moments within the film’s manic pacing (particularly the death of Robin’s family), but nearly every attempt at humor falls flat. So in all, Batman Forever is uneven.

Yet I’m all too happy to indulge in this flick.  I respond to it almost completely on a visceral level.  I love Barbara Ling’s set design, Stephen Goldblatt’s Oscar-nominated cinematography, Elliot Goldenthal’s music, several well-staged (if a little choppy) action scenes, and all the other aesthetic decisions — sequins, nipples, codpieces and all.  It’s a damned sexy movie, regardless of your orientation.  Leggy, alabastrine Nicole Kidman is in a flowing nightgown half the time, and in Bob Ringwood’s tricked-out costume, Val Kilmer looks like a horny leopard ready to kiss and spank all the naughty boys of Gotham.

What can I say? Batman Forever is a high-class whore on a lonely night. It knows how to push my buttons, so I’m cuttin’ it some slack.

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing